Snippets, Tips and Inspirational Stories

Here are five rules that, if you observe them, will make you an interesting speaker. They make the difference between interesting talkers and uninteresting ones. Know what you want to say If you don’t know exactly what you want to say, don’t get on your feet or open your mouth. Speak with authority, from knowledge and with confidence. This can only be if you know what you want to say. Say it and sit down Be brief, be to the point and then sit down. Remember no one was ever criticized for saying too little. If more is desired from you, it will be asked of you. Look at the audience while you talk The importance of this rule is hard to overstate. Anybody worth talking to is worth looking at. This is why talkers who read their talks rarely go over. Talk about what the audience is interested in It is not what you want to say that is important; it is what the audience wants to hear. The audience’s interest is paramount, not yours. A sure fire method of being a winning and well liked s...

This is the story of a Farmer and an Old mule. Once, the mule fell into a well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying'. The well was deep and the cost of getting out the mule was more than buying a new mule or digging a well. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. So, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened and requested them to haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well itself and put him out of his misery. Initially, the old mule was hysterical and was upset that the same folks whom he served all along were trying to kill him. All the nice things he did for the village folks flashed through his mind. But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and when the dirt hit his back he realized that self pity may not help. So, he wanted to turn the adversary into his advantage. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel...

Do you remember the nickname of Abraham Lincoln? It was Honest Abe. When he was a young man, working in a general store, he walked several miles to return a couple of pennies that he had overcharged a woman. People heard about this and told the story to others. Overtime, he developed a reputation for complete honesty. He was so highly respected for his character that he was nominated to be the presidential candidate of the new Republican Party at the convention in Chicago in 1860, even though he never left Springfield, Illinois. His name and reputation carried the delegates. The qualities of his character made him one of America’s most revered and respected Presidents . The more you dwell on a virtue like integrity, the more you will behave consistently with it. The more you turn it over in your mind, as you would turn over a precious piece of artwork in your hands, the more the practices of that virtue will be programmed into your subconscious mind. The more you imprint this ...

At the age of 44, with no job, two kids in college and a third about to start, Jim had fallen on rough times. Dismissed by his employer in a major cutback, Jim had talked with nearly 200 people in search of another management position. As he arrived for his first interview with a large glass company, however, he was smiling and confident. This time, he felt, he had a job-winning strategy. In preparation, Jim had listed questions that kept coming up in earlier, unsuccessful interviews. Then he had a friend ask him the questions in front of a home video camera. Would I hire this person? Jim wondered as he watched himself on playback. No, he decided. "I sat sternly with arms folded - like a kid called to the principal's office. I scrambled. What I thought was self confidence came across as arrogance.” After more practice, Jim knew he was ready. And sure enough, the glass company hired him as a regional vice President. The same approach that helped Jim triu...

A 10-year-old boy decided to study Judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese Judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. "Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?" "This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the Sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his master, the boy kept training. Several months later, the Sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, a...